How Far is Too Far--Authenticity

It is always tough to know when to draw the line between too involved in a student's life and not paying attention to the problems of the student. According to dictionary.reference.com the definition of authenticity is the quality or condition of being authentic, trustworthy, or genuine. Authenticity is another big part of being a good teacher. I say this because if your students don't trust you, they will not benefit from your lessons. Also being authentic can help the children learn better. They will be able to remember the different ways you taught them how to reach an answer because of how authentic and trusting you were being with them.

Now going back to the boundaries of being too into the students' lives. A teacher needs to be careful when being genuine because some people whether they are other students, co-workers, administrators, or parents, can take some of the things you do with your students the wrong way. An example of this was given in class when the coach of a college sports team was photographed attending an after-game party with his arm around a young woman. When the photo of this coach got out people jumped to conclusions of how this older man was taking advantage of this student. Not only do teachers have to worry about the well-being of their students, but they have to keep in mind that everything they do will be scrutinized differently by an outside party.

These are ways that authenticity can be a good yet difficult thing for a teacher to bring into the classrom

Compassion

Definition from http://dictionary.reference.com:

noun--a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.

Compassion is a key ingredient of being a great teacher. This is because if you show compassion to a person they will try their hardest to make you happy because they know you care for them. Although too much compassion may be a negative thing in the classroom. If a teacher has too much compassion for certain students it teaches those students that they are above the rules and also they can take advantage of your kindness. But if a teacher has no compassion in the classroom the kids may think that no matter how hard they try they will never get it right; so they stop trying to impress you. So although compassion is a great thing to have as a teacher, you have to know how to equal it out so there is not too little or too much.

A time that I remember teachers showing me compassion was in my junior year of high school. It was just after I lost a close family member and was dealing with everything that my teachers showed compassion by helping after school with the homework since I was having troubles concentrating in class and at home. It was only after a couple of weeks that I started doing homework on my own and got on with the normal routine of everything. But there was still this one teacher who was showing me compassion, a little too much now that I look back at it. If I had not done my homework assignment this teacher would excuse it so that I wouldn't have to worry about it. At the time I thought this was very nice, but then I started taking advantage of the situation. At the end of the course I realized that both of us, mostlty myself, had messed up my ablility to learn the material for the course.

This is why I think compassion can be a good and bad characteristic in the classroom. Which is why teachers should use it wisely.

Video about Compassion in the Classroom:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYY6-EdTzXw

R-E-S-P-E-C-T!

Respect is one of the main things that teachers and student need to incorporate in and out of the classroom. Without the respect of the students the teacher has a harder time helping the students learn new subjects. I think this because the without the students cooperation the teacher has to focus more on the order of the classroom then the learning of new subjects. The reason I think the teacher has to have respect for the students is that without their input or them questioning the lessons the teacher will never be able to learn what works and what doesn't with the kids. Some of the best teachers are the ones who listen to the kids and are able to respect the different ways kids learn and are able to take their suggestions without getting all high and mighty. I don't exactly remember when I was treated with respect, but I certainly remember a time when a teacher did not treat me with respect. I was in 3rd grade and my class was doing this "Jepordy" type game and it was my turn and I got a question I knew was 100% right. So when I told her my answer it was not the same as the answer she had. And because she did not respect my opinion I felt humliated in from of my peers. And because of that humliation I felt like the teacher didn't deserve my respect and therefore I didn't listen or pay attention to her for the rest of the time I had her. These reasons are why I think that respect is the most important part of teacher and student relationships.